Leads Sought In Killing Of 2 Men Found In Canal

Two men who were shot to death and dumped in a Loxahatchee canal last week have been identified as handymen who lived in the area, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said on Monday.

Detectives have no motive or suspects in the killings of Herminio J. Acosta, 37, of Royal Palm Beach or his brother-in-law, Jorge Luis HernM-andez, 31, of the Dominican Republic.

Both men had been stuffed into black garbage bags and dumped into a canal just off North Road, near D Road. North Road is north of Okeechobee Boulevard. Employees with the Loxahatchee Grove Water Improvement District who were working on a nearby road smelled an odor and found the bodies floating in the canal at about 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Sheriff's Office said.

The workers cut open one of the bags and called the Sheriff's Office.

The victims were last seen at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 20 driving away in Acosta's maroon 2000 Mitsubishi Montero, the Sheriff's Office said. The vehicle was found abandoned the next day in Hollywood.

Both men were from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and have lived in New Jersey, the Sheriff's Office said.

Acosta, a mechanic who also went by the name JosM-i Acosta, was reported missing by his wife on Sept. 21, said sheriff's Detective Ulrich Naujoks. Acosta had lived in Royal Palm Beach for about two months and worked independently remodeling homes, Naujoks said.

HernM-andez, who also went by the name Juan MelM-indez, was never reported missing, Naujoks said. He was in the country illegally, having returned to the United States after being arrested by New Jersey authorities and deported for a rape conviction, Naujoks said.

HernM-andez, described to police by relatives as a handyman, was staying with his wife in the Loxahatchee area at the time, Naujoks said.

Acosta was listed as a director of the Los Amigos Bar in West Palm Beach, state records show. The business closed in 1997 after being open a little more than a year.

Also in 1997, Acosta was charged by West Palm Beach Police with possession of marijuana and cocaine, state records show. The State Attorney's Office later dropped both charges.

The double homicide is one of three multiple slayings in the county that occurred in late September. On Sept. 22, a Lake Worth family of five was found murdered. A houseguest has been charged with their deaths. On Thursday night, three women were found shot to death inside a Greenacres restaurant.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office at 561-688-3000 or CrimeStoppers at 800-458-8477.

Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.

Kevin Krause can be reached at kkrause@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6604.